Monday, July 20, 2009

I can't believe it took me more than a week to post this, but here it is. The top that I make on the same day as the skirt in the last post.Appropriately wrinkled because I'd been wearing it all day. I used a built by wendy pattern from Simplicity. Number 3835. But I changed it a lot. I cut out the front and back, as usual, but instead of sewing in sleeves, I trimmed the armholes with bias binding in the same fabric. Then I made a narrow casing at the top, and slipped the contrasting binding through. I didn't use a bias binding for the strap, because I didn't want it to stretch. The strap ties in the back. (No zipper, just leave a few inches open in the back.)This is a much more flattering cut on me than the gathered sleeves that come with the pattern. Gathers at my shoulders always make me look a little bulkier than I like. The last thing I did, though it may not be visible here, was I cinched the sides up just a little bit by sewing three inches on either side of the side seam with elastic thread in my bobbin. It's not a big difference, but I thought it was more flattering. Tada!

*The strap fabric is vintage sheeting from my shop!*

Hopefully I'll get a little more in the habit of sharing the things I'm making. My sister, my mom, and I have decided to get together once a week to work on projects. Just one of the many perks of living in town again.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

...and sewing again.Until we find a permanent housing situation, most of our belongings will be locked in storage. That means that most of my fabrics, notions, patterns, and general crafting goodies are not with me. But I did bring the box of fabric that I've been accumulating to make clothing. Yesterday I unloaded that box into a dresser, and the fabric alone filled two drawers! I have decided that I will not be allowed to get any more fabric out of storage until I have made a serious dent in this stash. So, with that as my motivation, I got to work. The green in the photo above is linen.

I'm working from my favorite stand-by, Sew U, by Wendy Mullin. The pattern is the basic a-line skirt, but I left out the zipper and the darts, and shortened it by a few inches. Then I added a little ruffle to the bottom. By the way, making tiny ruffles with linen is no easy task. And I know ruffles. I've made a lot of them. The fabric is a little stiff, so I had to hand-baste, but other than that, this skirt was a breeze. Here's me posing in it while Emma takes the picture.

note: after this was taken, I shortened it by another two inches and changed the waist. I also made a little top that I haven't had the chance to snap yet. Soon, though. I promise. I have a lot of clothes to make in the next few weeks.

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

This is no joke. The day we moved in, the temperature was sitting at 103 degrees. Welcome home, right? But even with the almost unbearable heat, we are glad to be here and are settling in. We don't have a permanent home yet, but a couple from our new church had an empty guest house. The Texas-shaped ice cubes were already in the freezer when we got here. No one has state pride like Texans.

Hello! I'm so glad you found me! I believe in living life with purpose and creativity, and I want to inspire you to do the same with project tutorials, craft ideas, and funny stories of real family life. Follow me as I strive to find the joy in every day!